Benefits of swimming

Swimming has been dubbed ‘the ideal workout’, and one of the main reasons for this is because you can still benefit from all the advantages of cardiovascular workouts without causing any joint damage. Athletes swim to stay strong and healthy while recuperating from injury. What’s more, it requires no equipment – just water! The benefits swimming can bring to your life are truly amazing, so we’ve put together a list of some of the most impressive ones.

Swimming helps to define and strengthen muscles

Where runners build muscle in their legs, swimmers build muscle all over their bodies. Swimming requires a larger number of muscle groups to work together to propel your body through the water – the arms pull while the legs kick. Swimming is one of the greatest cardiovascular workouts if you’re looking for a full body workout. 

Swimming helps to increase bone density

Recent studies have discovered that swimming may have an impact on bone mass. Although not as good as running, swimming has been proven to show a great improvement in BMD (Bone Mineral Density) and femoral bone weight. Although this research is in its early days, these findings are interesting, redefining what was previously thought about the relationship between swimming and bone density. 

Inflammation is reduced

Did you know what cardiovascular exercises like swimming are not only good for strengthening the heart? They also help to decrease inflammation in the heart, which contributes to atherosclerosis. Reducing the inflammation in the body also has ability to lessen the progression of other diseases in the body. 

Swimming is a great way to burn calories

Swimming is a terrific method to burn calories, but many people are unaware that it may be just as effective as running on the treadmill. Swimming can burn as many calories as jogging, depending on the stroke you do and the intensity. For example, the breaststroke burns 60 calories in 10 minutes, the backstroke burns 80 calories in 10 minutes, the freestyle burns 100 calories in 10 minutes, and the butterfly stroke burns an astonishing 150 calories in 10 minutes. 

To put things in perspective, a 10-minute mile burns roughly 100 calories. As a result, a good 30-minute butterfly speed workout can burn 150 calories more than a 5K run in the same amount of time.

Swimming helps to reduce stress and depression

Do you like the natural endorphin rush? While many people talk about getting a runner's high, swimming will also provide those feel-good feelings. Swimming is also peaceful and contemplative, since the sound of your breathing and the rushing water help you focus within and blot out all other noises. This naturally reduces stress and anxiety. 

Swimming has also been shown to restore stress-related brain damage through a process known as hippocampal neurogenesis. So, if you're drowning emotionally, leaping in a body of water can be just what you need to get back on your feet.

We hope that these 5 reasons haven’t convinced you that swimming should be a part of your fitness programme this year. With your own swim spa, you’ll be able to benefit from all the advantages of swimming without leaving the comfort of your own home! What’s not to love?

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